 Poster: A snowHead
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As some of you might have seen in one of my other threads I've sold my Mantra's and Invaders and looking at going back to a single all round ski that can do a bit of everything. I'm an advanced/expert skier and looking for something that will spin in the park and stomp switch, rip hard on the pistes and hold its own reasonably in the deep stuff, trees and couloirs. Full details here:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=68471&highlight=
Have been offered a set of Rossignol S3's at a really good price which is tempting, they seem to get pretty good reviews all round, but having seen and handled a set in a shop they seemed quite soft and have particularly rockered tips so I am a little worried they may be a bit flappy when being pushed hard?
Who has tried them and what do you think?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Nobody got an opinion on these???
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Not yet...I've got a brand new pair, ready to go, I'll let you know in a few weeks.
Have a search (make sure you USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION!) on TGR...there have been a couple of S3 threads there.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I have S3s in 186 fitted with Barons and rate them as my fun every day ski - can do everything. They're very light so work for me for SC touring, but they are a BC jib ski so are quite soft it's true, but they're torsionally rigid and have loads of pop. Personally love the rocker, makes up for the relative narrowness of the 98mm waist in powder, and the trad camber underfoot means they carve on piste no worries. Don't find them hooky myself.
Not a big believer in the one ski quiver and I have SLs for the hard stuff and something stiffer, wider and heavier for all out charging, and bear in mind they ski quite short - unless you're a midget I wouldn't look anywhere other than the 186s.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm 6'2" and 80kg's so was always gonna be the 186s. Do you have this years greeny colour ones or last years black and white? The TGR thread suggests there may be some difference in the base materials as well as rocker profile between the two years?
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Treacle, I have (very) limited experience of them. They're very soft in tips and tails, stiffer in the core. They hold an edge reasonably well at slow speeds. They turn (pivot) very very easily (rocker) and edge-to-edge they don't seem that slow (maybe also a rocker effect?). They ski very short (rocker) and though I didn't get a chance to find out for sure I'm guessing they won't inspire confidence at speed or when pushed. Personally, if I wasn't too fat (which I'm not) I'd consider them for off piste (but poss go with something a bit stiffer) but I wouldn't really consider them for a one ski quiver.
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The black and white 09/10 s3s. Dunno about this years', but was a big hit for Rossi last year in NA so I'd be surprised if they've messed with them too much. Dims are all the same.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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slikedges, Yeah I think I'm going to have very similar opinions to you, I have handled the ski in a shop and they do feel very soft in the tips. I'm more of a hard and fast GS style skier than a twitchy turner most of the time, so I'm not convinced these will be suitable for me. Have looked at tons of ski's and reviews and and none of these all rounders jump of the page as being good in all the areas I would like.
The Line Blend is a definite contender and definitely feels stiffer and springy to handle in the shop than the S3, also seems a bit more traditional shape with less rocker than the S3 which I think will give me more confidence in it. I can see the blend being a good ski for me in the park but not so sure for pushing hard on and off piste? At the other end of the scale the Prophet 100 sounds like it would best suit my style for piste/off, but its not really park orientated at all from what I can see which for me is a slight issue.
oz5000, From the review in the link several people have suggested that the material for the bases had some issues with robustness and speed on the 09/10, the 10/11 has a compound that is faster/tougher - no idea if this is true or not. The one's I've been offered are the 09/10 like yours, which I much prefer the look of (really don't like this years stodgy graphics!).
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| Quote: |
| I'm more of a hard and fast GS style skier than a twitchy turner most of the time |
Treacle, Mantra with Marker Jesters so you can move the boot to ski centre for park, just make sure you're more accurate when landing switch to make up for the lack of a pronounced upturn at the tail 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Treacle, graphics are obviously the most importtant thing
No issues with base durability as far as I'm concerned. Seem pretty bomber for such a light ski.
Like I said, don't believe in 'one ski fits all', there'll always be an area in which any ski is found wanting, but for what it's worth I'm off on my travels to Iran, Kashmir and Japan on Monday for four months and I'm only taking a pair of DS Huge Troubles in addition to my S3s for the duration.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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So those of you who want a stiffer 98mm underfoot twin with a wee bit of rocker... Dynastar Sixth Sense Slicer??!
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| Quote: |
I'm off on my travels to Iran, Kashmir and Japan on Monday for four months
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Dickhead funny fellow clunge fungus  -badger.
I'm not at all jealous or anything.
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You know it makes sense.
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clarky999, once in a lifetime, bro!
Ski bag weighs 17kg - baggage allowance is 20kg. How many pairs of boxers is it acceptable to get away with taking??
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Well, I had placed a bid on some brand new 09/10 S3's on ebay ages ago and just won them at a rediculous price, so it looks like I'll be giving them a go! I still think I will find them too soft but we shall see.
Where do you guys all have yours mounted and what are you planning on using them for?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Had the S3s out yesterday for their first outing.
Mixture of on and off piste:
On piste....they ski a lot shorter than they look, that tip and tail rocker makes for a much shorter ski underfoot.
Very easy to turn, short radius and longer carving turns, the S3s handle them both with ease. Hard/icy stuff was a breeze, maybe helped by the razor sharp edges and the wax job I had given them.
In moguls they were really good, the tip rocker made even steep sided bumps a lot easier to deal with as there was never any risk of getting the tips jammed or partially jammed which can happen with me (I am a pretty poor mogul skier and do tend to traverse too much when it gets too difficult for me).
Off piste they really were excellent. Though a good deal narrower than my Factions but now I think I really prefer the S3s. That tip rocker was a real saving grace a couple of times when I hid very deep pockets of wind transported snow, the skis never ever felt like they wanted to anything but float along. Really easy to turn too
For a pure piste day I will still reach for my Elan SLX, but if there is any fresh around....S3 time!.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 11-03-11 15:22; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For my twopenneth, I think the S3s are excellent. They have all the cleverness of the S7 - which is currently hugely popular in Canada, where this season they have the snow for it to be used - but without the width you only need when it has just dumped several feet or the day after. The cleverness is to make a mid-fat ski ultra-manouvrable - so it can well handle moguls, trees and steep off-piste - as well as the powder. I reckon they are probably ideal for most off-piste skiers but particularly those like me who do not have the weight/energy to drive stiffer, heavier skis like the (Volkl) Mantra.
In my experience, they do feel a little soft when at speed on an icy piste - but there lies the obvious trade-off. I've also spent a few days on the Dynastar Sixth Sense Slicer and would agree with the earlier poster - also a great ski, quite similar to the S3 (rockered, twin tip, mid-fat), feels a bit stiffer under foot.
If anyone happens to know whether the S3 has been changed at all in the 2011/2012 model - I'd be grateful and very interested to know.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Simples, got any more thoughts on the Slicers? My current (and beloved) Big Troubles are starting to wear out through use, and the Slicer would seem to be the obvious replacement. BT's still have a season or two left in them though I reckon, gotta love Dynastar build quality!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Clarky999, sure - I rented the Slicers for 5 days in Revelstoke in February. The ski felt to me as if was skiing quite short for its length - which makes it very manouvrable. In fact, I found it better in the trees than my Apache Recons even though it is a significantly wider ski.
The turn initiation is easy - remarkably so for a mid-fat ski.
If your weight drops back, the ski would like to steer itself but that is common/perhaps inevitable/the trade-off for all twin tips.
I quite concur with you about Dynastar - the build quality is great and they feel very smooth. The Slicer was consistent with that.
By way of comparison to the S3 - the other ski I loved during our trip (which luckily was 7 weeks long and featured plenty of snow, so we tried quite a few skis along the way) - the Slicer felt more powerful and I was happier skiing hard on it through chopped stuff than the S3. On the other hand, the S3 felt to me slightly more stable in the deep powder.
Revelstoke was (and hopefully still is) having an awesome season for snowfall. We experienced a range of powder conditions - skiing 20 - 30 cm fresh powder on several days then heavy powder and a day of frozen chopped snow. Hence I saw a lot of what the Slicers can do off-piste and was impressed but not on any hard or icy piste.
However, having spent much of the past couple of months on mid-fat skis, I am now inclining to the opinion that I would ski them anywhere - because they can be so much fun off-piste - and live with the fact that on piste others will carve past me.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Cheers! Sound like they're in the same mould as the BT's then, just with tip rocker bonus.
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| Treacle wrote: |
The Line Blend is a definite contender and definitely feels stiffer and springy to handle in the shop than the S3, also seems a bit more traditional shape with less rocker than the S3 which I think will give me more confidence in it. I can see the blend being a good ski for me in the park but not so sure for pushing hard on and off piste? At the other end of the scale the Prophet 100 sounds like it would best suit my style for piste/off, but its not really park orientated at all from what I can see which for me is a slight issue.
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Prophet 100 is a great ski in any soft snow conditions and can handle speed without flapping. Not great on ice as you would expect - they're really not that stiff in real terms, especially in the tail. I'm not a park skier at all, but can't see why you wouldn't give them a go there - they're light and a full twin tip. Obviously a bit stiffer than a pure park ski, but if you want a ski to push hard on/off piste then it's tough titty I'm afraid. Isn't the Blend basically a Prophet without the metal stiffener and a more parky graphic?
Haven't tried the S3, but sounds fun.
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Bought the S3 in 177cm 127-98-118mm 19.8m for a song in the sales and have skied a few days on them now. They're the second pair of Rossis I've ever bought and the second pair to feel instantly comfortable and easy to ski.
They pivot very easily and make steered turns of all sizes and speeds without fuss or excessive flap. The edge grip on early morning ice and hardpack was very good and the normal camber underfoot section seems torsionally stiff enough to grip pretty well (though I don't weigh much). For a ski of these dimensions they did well for short carved arc-to-arc turns and once again edge-to-edge they were much better than I expected for a 98mm ski. When it came to longer arcs and higher speeds, the skis are a tad longitudinally soft so tend towards a shorter radius and slower speeds. At first I kept falling onto my inside ski but quickly adapted to increase counter to get the angulation required to hold the edge for clean arc-to-arc carves.
Despite their being a bit wide and smidgen long, bumps benefited from their soft shovels and great scrapeability. On crud and crumbly powder and crusty stuff (that's all there was off piste apart from rocks) they were very well-behaved and confidence inspiring, always visible, predictable and easy to turn. Not probably for off piste charging but I'll reserve judgement on that for another time. The late afternoon slush was surely made easier by their width underfoot. I could sail smoothly through/over it all just balancing and riding (though tbh that's what I do on narrower skis anyway, just that it was probably a little easier on wider skis).
In summary, very versatile and fun. I'll admit more versatile than I expected for a fairly wide ski. I brought a pair of race SLs with me on the trip and in the freeze-thaw conditions I had didn't feel I needed to get them out. I think the tip and tail rocker idea works well. The degree of compromise on piste is perfectly acceptable as there is a normal camber underfoot, though I've never been on a pair of full rockers so can't say for sure if this is the deal. Off piste there wasn't a lot to ski but from what little I got I can't imagine that they will be anything other than very enjoyable in most all conditions. Pleased with my bargain? You betcha!
minor edit to clarify
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